The Lioness of Shadi

24 - Sharp as Arrows

On all sides of the frothing joining of the Suen and Adbattii rivers, the great city of Ulmanna sprawled across five hills that formed an approximate ring. Untidy warrens of streets stretched out like tangling spiderwebs from the river sides, presided over by the great ziggurat of Lugal to the south of the joining and the expansive palace complex to the east of it. Most of the wealthy parts of the city were upstream and surrounded by towering walls. Ulmanna had burst beyond its gates, many rougher hovels constructed of mud brick or just bundled reeds outside of the city wall, crammed into each other beside the flurry of activity that was the docks. Tens of thousands of people lived in Ulmanna and the surrounding river lands, every inch of ground given to human use. What was not the city was farms or orchards, watered by a canal system that rivaled Shadi's, though it was only two-thirds the size of Ilati's home.

"Ah, home! What do you think?" Kulziya said, letting his bronze-tipped spear lean against his shoulder. He chuckled at the wide-eyed stares from Shir Del and especially Roshanak. "Civilization at its finest!"

Roshanak blinked owlishly, squirming slightly on her horse's back to get a better view. At her small height, there was only so much she could do. "The people, there are so many..."

"Like a busy anthill." Shir Del turned to look at her daughter, tugging Roshanak's braid gently. "Stay close to us and on Thriti's back."

Ilati took in a deep breath at the sight of Ulmanna, the first proper city she'd seen since Shadi's destruction. It brought memories arcing up from the depths of her mind like wounding arrows. She turned her face away, looking back towards the road to the forest, but even that offered little comfort with the sheer volume of travelers flocking to Ulmanna. Youtab shifted beneath her as if the mare could sense her disquiet. She buried her fingers in her horse's mane, trying to project a calm she didn't feel in the slightest.

Kulziya glanced over at her and offered a slight smile. "Have no fear, wild one. To arrive at the beginning of the Festival of the River God is most auspicious."

Menes frowned slightly. "A strange thing to say with a dying king and two princes poised for civil war."

"He didn't say it was most auspicious for them," Eigou said cheerfully, nudging Ankhu forward. The trusty mule trudged along with the sorcerer on his back.

Shir Del snorted, features touched by a wry amusement. "Spoken like a true jackal, Eigou."

He laughed and turned slightly to look back at them. "Come, let us make our way to the gates. There is no sense in dawdling. This jackal would like to eat his meal at a table."

A gust of wind rose from the east, sweeping across the grass behind them with such a force it left even the river reeds bent like supplicants at the foot of a ziggurat. The others kept moving, but Ilati froze at a familiar smell: lightning on the wind, the dryness of the deserts, the hint of myrrh and bittersweet herbs. Youtab flicked her ears and let out a soft whinny as the others moved forward, pawing at the earth. Restlessness played in the mare's muscles, flexing and rippling under her rider.

Darkness swallowed Ilati's vision. She turned her eyes towards the sun, but saw only the bright ring of a corona: a total eclipse. The wretched copper taste of blood burst across her tongue as if she had just swallowed a draught of it. She couldn't even call out, not with the sudden sense of scorpion legs climbing her back, nestling against her neck. Wails and groans filled the air, the weeping dirges of women and men alike.

They should quake at the very thought of their future. It will devour them like the desert sands swallow bones. You know that well.

Ilati felt a shudder run through her whole body at the dreadful weight in her goddess's words. Before her, she saw a shadowy Ulmanna unraveling as if by the hand of an unsatisfied weaver. The rivers themselves coursed with fire instead of water, as if flowing straight from the pits of Ersetu, the land of the dead. K'adau's laughter boomed across the countryside like the very rolling of thunder. In the east, a star brighter than all the others moved towards the zenith of the sky, burning red as blood.